The 40 Doctor of Physical Therapy candidates who began classes May 16 came from a nationwide pool of about 750 applicants, which 2015 data supplied by the Commission on Accreditation in Physical Therapy Education indicates is about 300 applicants deeper than the national average for colleges and universities that offer similar programs.

The three-year Brenau program enrolled its first “freshman” class in May 2015. However, this year’s class netted a wider array of candidates: They are from 11 states, with an average age of 24 and a cumulative grade point average of 3.5 on the 4.0 scale.

“I like the fact it was a brand new facility,” said 25-year-old Travis Keppel, who moved from Los Angeles to enroll in the Brenau program. “When I got here, everyone was super friendly and I had a few really down-to-earth conversations with some of the professors. It just seemed like a good match.”